Posts tagged with The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Hey guys, my Etsy shop is open!
Here’s the link to the shop if you want to take a look at everything. I have some vintage stuff and some other jewelry, and I’ll be adding more throughout the week: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoriannsCloset
Or if you want just the Pimpernel related stuff: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoriannsCloset?section_id=11986418
If you order something, make sure to let me know you’re one of my followers!
Jewelry Update!
So I know I’m about a month late, but I found ring blanks and wanted to finish them before I opened up (which will be [fingers crossed] sometime this coming week).
Unfortunately, Michael’s only seems to carry 4 of these ring blanks at a time, and hasn’t replenished their stock yet. So, since I want to keep one for myself, I have three to sell for now; two of the Leslie Howard design ones (pictured below) and one Anthony Andrews design one (using the red wax seal image below). As soon as I can get more blanks, I’ll make more rings, so let me know which of the two you would like to see more of.
The Scarlet Pimpernel Ending
theclairetionary said: OMG I KNOW I’M DISAPPOINTED THAT THAT’S NOT ANYWHERE EITHER ;_; I wanted to see him carry her all the way to the schooner too
Me too! I personally LOVE the ending of the book, and have often wondered why no adaptation has used it. I’m sure it has…
Just a note- I wholly and completley adore the way the book ends! I love the whole book. I soooo wish they would make movie that was totally accurate to the main book. I would want them to keep the Jew part in though, because it points out so clearly how hypocritical the revolutionaries are. Its creates a main theme in the book. It isn’t anti-semitism, its against it. I first read this book in my sophomore english (awesome class) and I loved discussing the theme here. Percy chose to disguise himself as a Jew because he knew people. He knew that they would ignore him because of their stupid predjudice. Note how in a time everyone calls everyone else citezen for the sake of equality, the jew calls him “your excellency.” It is so characteristic of the times and the of the real face of the French Revolution.
Wow. AMAZING point!
This. All this. Whether it was Orczy’s intent or not to speak out about antisemitism, it would be very easy in a film to convey the hypocrisy inherent in the revolutionary mindset by using the ‘Old Dirty Jew’ disguise.
And it does show how well Percy understand the people he’s fighting. He plays directly into their prejudice in such a way to completely evade suspicion. It’s not pretty or polite, but it’s damn smart.
Can I just say how much I love you guys and this discussion?
Can we do more of this?
Just some fun trivia I found about the 1935 movie:
Alexander Korda (the producer) was Hungarian, and had been born in a town not far from Baroness Orczy’s family’s farm.
Korda had recently had great success with the actor Charles Laughtonin the film The Private Life of Henry VIII, so he asked Laughton to play the role of Sir Percy. But when the announcement went out to the press, the reaction from the Pimpernel’s many fans was negative; the pug-nosed Laughton was thought inappropriate to play the suave Sir Percy.
theclairetionary said: OMG I KNOW I’M DISAPPOINTED THAT THAT’S NOT ANYWHERE EITHER ;_; I wanted to see him carry her all the way to the schooner too
Me too! I personally LOVE the ending of the book, and have often wondered why no adaptation has used it. I’m sure it has something to do with how horrible the Jew disguise is in terms of stereotyping and antisemitism, but couldn’t we find some other, less offensive disguise for Percy? Couldn’t he just be some old, hunched over Frenchman instead? We really don’t get to see the extent of Marguerite’s devotion for Percy without it. And everything they say to eachother at the end! Gaah it’s so romantic and wonderful!
nausiwindstrider asked: Do you know of any rendition that as this scene fro the book in it? 'He was but a man madly, blindly, passionately in love and as soon as her light footstep had died away within the house, he knelt down upon the terrace steps, and in the very madness of his love he kissed one by one the places where her small foot had trodden, and the stone balustrade, where her tiny hand had rested last.'
Unfortunately, no. And I hate that because it’s my all time favorite quote from the novel! I’ve ranted on several times before about how that entire Richmond chapter isn’t fully in any of the adaptations, so I won’t do it again here, but that one quote just sums up Percy so beautifully, and all of the adaptations are missing it.
A few things that popped up on Pintrest today. Thought I’d share them with you guys.
Top Row: Dress, 1784-95; Dress 1790s
Bottom Row: Jacket, 1790s; Suit, 1780s-90s
Here are some of the pieces I’ll be putting up in my shop as soon as I get it up and running.
I agree :)
It may not have been the best show to ever hit Broadway, but it took an 11 year old girl who had only heard the title of the book mentioned once and turned her into a rabbid fan girl for everything Scarlet Pimpernel related. So, it did it’s job.
The lack of backstory was always my complaint about most of the versions (except for the Anthony Andrews version). In the first version of the musical, there was no backstory at all, it just jumped right in with their wedding. For the next versions, at least they added the scene where Percy takes her from France to England, but they still don’t touch on that imensely passionate love that he feels for her. The footbridge scene tries, but it can’t even come close to the Richmond chapter of the book.
I think the problem with most of the adaptations is that they make Percy and Marguerite mutually in love in the first place, and then he stops returning her affections. In the novel, Percy is in love with Marguerite, and Margurite likes the idea of having someone worship her, so she just figures “Okay, why not?”. She grows as a person and realizes that she really does love Percy, but by that time, he’s already in “you betrayed me” mode.
The only thing that most of the adaptations take from the Richmond chapter is what really happened with her betrayal of the St. Cyrs (although most addaptations put their own spin on it). But most of the chapter is the two of them talking about their relationship, about what happened between them, about how both of them are letting their pride get in the way of fixing it. In most of the adaptations, the meat of this scene gets reduced to Marguerite complaining that she has no idea why Percy doesn’t love her anymore.
I guess they do this to make Marguerite’s character more sympathetic, like she’s the victim of a tragic misunderstanding, but I think it makes her character weaker. She’s the heroine of the book, and in most adaptations, she suffers from classic damsel in distress syndrome.
…
Wow. Sorry. Went on a bit of a ramble there.
Anyway, I agree with you. I think the musical is beautiful and any Pimpernel fan would enjoy it.
And that concludes this weeks Pimpernel Op-Ed column ;)
“The revolution came. The ever glorious fourteenth of July, and I was free.”
HAPPY BASTILLE DAY! VIVE LA FRANCE! LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ!
ALLONS ENFANTS DE LA PATRIE, LE JOUR DE GLOIRE EST ARRIVÉ!
callmecordelia reblogged your photoset: Ok, Tom Hiddleston’s eyes are perfect Percy eyes….
“The Official Hiddles for Scarlet Pimpernel Movement.” Let’s do this. And missmorland shall be our president.
Agreed.
So who’s got the courage to tweet Hiddles and tell him of our plans? (@twhiddleston)
Ok, Tom Hiddleston’s eyes are perfect Percy eyes. His face is perfect. He even looks good in a cravat. Thank you missmorland for bringing him to my attention. Tumblr, we need to band together and make this happen.
One of my favorite movies. Desperately wish I owned it because I am DYING to watch it. Anthony Andrews, you are perfection as Sir Percy. <3
The entire movie is on youtube in HD. http://youtu.be/TU2RLwEsxT4
So speaking of the mini-series,
I decided to find out what all of the other episodes were about. Here’s what the BBC website had to say about them.
Episode 1 - Ennui
More adventures with Sir Percy Blakeney and his crew as he uses ingenious disguises and tricks to rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine, and escape the cluthes of Robespierre. And a new challenge for Percy - Margueritte has died in childbirth leaving him with a baby daughter to look after.
I have such a huge problem with how every episode summary treats Marguerite’s death so flippantly. I’ve read fan fic that does a better job killing her off. We’re going to call his wife, whom he loves more than life itself and would and has risked his life for on several occasions, dying and leaving him to raise their child alone “a new challenge”???? Let’s not bother mentioning the devistating agony he’d feel and the deep depression he’d probably be in after losing her, plus the at least slight hint of resentment he’d probably feel towards the baby for killing her at war with the unconditional love of a father, who now has this baby as his only living piece of Marguerite to hold on to. This is a moment for some fine acting and character work. I really want to see if Grant pulls it off, or if they just glance over all of these feelings to get back to the action. Hopefully, he spends more time mourning her than he does Dewhurst.
Oh, and we don’t see Chauvelin or Ffoulkes after this episode either. It’s as if everyone but Grant could see that the ship was going down…
Episode 2 - Friends and Enemies
When brilliant French scientist, Antoine Picard, is coerced into producing a revolutionary bomb for Citizen Robespierre, only the Scarlet Pimpernel, aided by Picard’s beautiful sister Francoise, can rescue him from the guillotine.
Episode 3 - A Good Name
Adventures with Baroness Orczy’s disguised superhero. The true identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel is threatened with exposure when a foppish young aristocrat is mistaken for Sir Percy.
